Star Effect: Deep Space 9
by NYKevin
Summary: The Defiant enters the wormhole and emerges from a mass relay orbiting the Citadel. Takes place during ME2 and ME3. The Star Trek half looks like season 5 or 6 but isn't specified. Also has Fem!Shep/Garrus, but mostly off-screen, and not really the focus of the fic. T for language. Supposed to update weekly, but no promises; see note at top of Ch. 1 for details.
1. Crossover

[This information used to be at the end of Chapter 9. I've moved it here for visibility:

Given the amount of time it took to plan, write, and edit this chapter, I'd conservatively estimate a weekly turnaround time. **This is not a promise**. Some weeks, I may manage to put out two, and some weeks, I may not manage to get one out at all. But in the long run, I'm going to try to write a chapter a week. I may revise this estimate if it proves inaccurate. Your patience is greatly appreciated.

Chapters are written and published on a "when it's done" basis. I will not hold a chapter back while I write the next one (or two or three), unless I'm having serious internal continuity problems (i.e. if I don't have the slightest idea what happens next, I may hold a chapter back to keep my options open while I figure something out). I have a good high-level idea of where this fic is going, so that hopefully won't be a problem.

I also will not push out a chapter early just to meet my "once a week" goal. Chapters are released when they're done, not before.]

"OK, EDI, how long?" asked Shepard, resigned.

"Approximately 20 hours until the IFF is ready, Shepard," the AI responded.

"Still stuck in Citadel traffic?"

"Yes, Commander. The Eagle and Minos relays are both heavily congested, apparently in response to the conclusion of the _Destiny Ascension_'s victory cruise. I estimate at least 2 hours until we reach the bottom of the holding stack."

She sighed and sat down on the bed, considering the day's events. It was supposed to be "just another supply run." Instead...

"EDI, can I talk to Miranda from here?"

"Yes, Shepard."

"Commander, what can I do for you?" Miranda's accent was unmistakable.

"Considering what just happened on the Citadel, I think we should revise our 'Illium shore leave' plans."

"Agreed. I'd recommend sending people down in small groups, supervised by more experienced officers. No more than two or three groups on the ground at a time."

"Sounds about right. I don't think 'experience' is going to cut it, though. I'm certainly not trusting Zaeed with that."

"Of course, Commander."

Shepard thought for a moment, and then said "All right, I want you, me, Garrus, Tali, Jacob, and Samara rotating in and out of chaperone duty. I also don't want you and Jack or Tali and Legion coming within a country mile of each other for any reason."

"I thought Tali and Legion were getting along well, for a quarian and a geth," Miranda said quizzically.

"I'd like to keep it that way."

* * *

"We're approaching the wormhole," said Nog.

"Well, thank the Prophets for that," added Kira.

"Slow to impulse, Ensign," said Sisko, giving Kira an amused look. "Begin our approach."

"Aye, sir."

The _Defiant_ dropped out of warp and began moving along a path through the wormhole.

The scouting run hadn't exactly been a success. Originally, they had intended to observe several Dominion outposts in the Gamma Quadrant, but a malfunction in the cloaking device had forced them to turn back. They had since repaired it, but Sisko knew better than to press the issue. The crew was tired and worn out from weeks of cloaked travel behind enemy lines. No good could come of doubling the length of the mission.

The wormhole opened as the ship drew near. She entered it. For a few minutes, everything was normal. And then...

"Captain, we're accelerating!" said Nog.

"Full stop."

"The helm isn't responding!"

"Yes it is," said O'Brien. "The engines are stopped."

There was a moment of silence.

"Whatever this is, it isn't fooling around," noted Dax. "Warp 5, exponential acceleration curve."

"Reverse, full impulse," ordered Sisko.

"Aye, sir." A moment later, "No effect!"

"Chief, stop this vessel!" demanded Sisko.

"Aye sir," said O'Brien. "I'll be in Engineering." He left the room.

"Why haven't we cleared the wormhole yet?" asked Dax. "Warp 7."

Worf spoke up. "Sir, we'll exceed maximum warp shortly. The _Defiant_ wasn't designed for those speeds."

"Divert auxiliary power to structural integrity fields," said Sisko.

"Aye, sir."

"Warp 9, still accelerating," said Dax.

"Bridge to engineering," said Sisko. "Chief, tell me you have something."

"Sorry, sir, I haven't even figured out the problem yet."

"Warp 9.9," announced Dax. "Benjamin..."

Another moment of silence.

Sisko sighed. "All hands, abandon ship. I repeat, all hands—"

"We're through!" Nog beamed. "We've reentered normal space and dropped out of warp."

"Belay my previous order," said Sisko, sinking into the chair.

[Updated 2013-09-19: Clarify and fix technical errors w.r.t. warp factors. Thanks to Narf the Mouse for their review (of Ch. 9) pointing this out.]


	2. A Simple Investigation

"This has been a long, difficult, and stressful campaign," said Shepard. "I was really looking forward to taking a day off on Illium with everyone before the IFF came online. I'm sure you all know by now why that won't be happening."

Garrus's mandibles twitched. There had been no formal announcement of the incident, but word travels fast on a frigate.

"We're still going to Illium, of course," she continued, "But I can't just open the airlock and let the whole crew wander around. We'll be going down in small groups. Each group will be supervised by one of us. We'll be working shifts, and you _will_ get your own time off."

She paused. Jacob had relaxed from attention to parade rest.

"Your first priority is to avoid an incident. I want to make sure everyone gets some time off, and that won't happen if we get thrown off the planet. If you can't avoid an incident, do your best to keep it subdued, and ideally prevent any of our own from getting themselves arrested." She drew breath. "I'd _like_ you to prevent your shipmates from committing crimes altogether, but what I'd like and what the universe gives me have never seen eye-to-eye, so don't panic if you can't do that much, especially with Jack and Kasumi."

Samara looked displeased with this last order, but said nothing.

"I'll go over some ground rules with the whole crew, and I want you all there for that, since you'll be enforcing them. Any questions?"

"What authority do we have?" asked Tali. "I mean, what if they won't listen to us?"

"It's your job to make them listen. Try not to pull rank unless you have to; it doesn't work very well in my experience. Phrase things as suggestions rather than orders, and remember we're all on the same side. If they still won't listen, that's when you get nasty about it, _fast_. It's really not that different from commanding Daniels and Donnelly, I imagine."

Tali nodded.

"What will the shift schedule be?" asked Miranda.

"I'm still working that out, but I plan to have three groups of four on the ground at any given time. The other three of us can take our time off in one of those groups or on the _Normandy_. We'll try to schedule it so you get most of your time off in large blocks."

"Does that mean we won't see much of each other?" asked Garrus hesitantly.

Shepard smiled. "That depends how I schedule it. I'll try to be flexible." Garrus's mandibles flared briefly.

"During our time off, are we required to stay in a squad?" asked Samara.

"Yes, or on the _Normandy_."

"Why? If you trust us to lead, don't you trust us alone?"

"It isn't about trust," said Garrus. "She doesn't want to privilege us over the rest of the crew." Shepard nodded.

"Oh, one last thing: have fun. This is shore leave, not a supply run. If your group wants to do something fun and harmless, go for it. If _you_ want to do something fun and harmless, go for it. Don't be 'the bad guy' unless they force it. Dismissed."

* * *

"All stations, report."

Dax spoke up first. "We're in a thick nebula. I can't determine our location from here."

From Engineering, O'Brien gave his report next. "The hull has been severely stressed. I recommend we don't go higher than Warp 5 until we hit a repair station. We've also lost primary power, so most nonessential systems are offline for now."

"What about shields and phasers?" asked Worf.

"Half-strength at best. Try not to start a fight. Torpedo bays are offline, too. Non-weapons systems are mostly functional, including transporters and the cloaking device. We can divert auxiliary power to run one system at a time."

"Mr. Worf, tactical assessment?"

Worf consulted the sensors. "There are numerous ships in the area, all of unrecognized design, none with substantial shields, communicating via conventional radio only. There's also an enormous station. Given the number of ships and the damage to the _Defiant_, the Chief is correct; a fight would end badly for us."

Dax pulled up the tactical report on her own screen. "The station is composed of a ring and five giant arms extending from it in a star. The ring has nearly five times the diameter of Deep Space 9, and the arms are even bigger. Both have open atmospheres held in with a combination of force fields and centrifugal force. I also noticed some large metallic objects with heavy gravimetric distortions surrounding them. Sensors can't penetrate the distortions, but there are lots of ships entering and exiting them. They appear to be pushing the ships into warp, but it's much faster than anything I've ever seen before."

"_Pushing_ the ships into warp?" asked O'Brien. "I've seen technology like that before! Soliton waves. We investigated them during my time on the _Enterprise_. Nearly wiped out a colony. I guess these people have perfected them."

"I read that report," said Dax. "But these ships are traveling faster than Warp 9.99. Soliton waves are more efficient than warp drive, but even they can't produce speeds like that with reasonable amounts of energy. Anyway, these distortions don't match the profile of soliton waves."

"Sir, one of the ships is named in the Latin alphabet," said Kira.

"Onscreen."

A large frigate, the _Normandy_, appeared on the viewscreen.

"Named for _the_ World War II battle, no less," Sisko remarked. "Good catch, Major. Hail them. Maybe they can help us figure this out."

"Hailing on conventional radio, all frequencies, directed tightbeam signal," said Dax. Sisko looked at her curiously. "When in Rome..." she replied, shrugging.


	3. Babel

"We're being hailed," said EDI.

"Wow, really? I never would've guessed," said Joker, opening the channel.

"This is Captain Benjamin Sisko of the _Defiant_. We've suffered a navigational fault and require assistance."

"This is the _Normandy_. Are you asking where you are?" asked Joker.

"More or less."

Joker consulted his instruments and forwarded the _Defiant_ a specification of her orbit.

"That wasn't quite what I had in mind, _Normandy_. Our tactical systems are fully operational. We just need to know—"

"You need me to tell you you're orbiting the Citadel?" Joker asked, in disbelief.

"We're not from around here."

"Oh for crying out loud... EDI, send them a star chart. Terminus tourists get dumber every year."

"Jeff, you forgot to mute the radio."

"No, I didn't."

* * *

"Receiving that star chart, Captain," said Nog. "Looks like we're near the Alpha-Gamma border."

"Wormholes don't work that way!" said Bashir. "You can't just 'fall out' halfway through!"

"Apparently, we did," said Sisko. "Theoretically, how long would it take to get home at maximum warp?"

Dax simply said "years."

"What if we went to the Gamma mouth of the wormhole?"

"That would take about the same amount of time, and personally, I'd rather not experience... whatever we just went through all over again," said Dax

"Captain, the universal translator has deciphered the local language. It's too simple to be natural," remarked Kira. "We're also seeing some unrecognized languages, and some English, but the artificial language is much more popular."

"Sounds like they don't have universal translation," remarked Bashir. "Otherwise, there would be no need to invent a language."

Dax had been studying the star chart closely. "Benjamin, look at this chart. The Federation, the Romulan Star Empire, the Cardassian Union... none of them are listed here. Most of the Alpha Quadrant is designated 'Human–Alliance space,' with some near the Gamma border designated 'Citadel space.' The Beta Quadrant includes some Alliance space, some space designated 'the Attican Traverse,' and some space simply designated 'Terminus.' It sounds like the officer thought we were from there. The Gamma Quadrant is mostly Citadel space, with some of it near the Delta border designated Terminus. The Delta Quadrant is entirely Terminus space. There are no quadrant markers on the map, either, I'm just estimating where the markers should be."

Sisko considered this. "Time travel?"

Kira consulted the comm system briefly. "Local comm buoys say the year is 2185."

Sisko turned and _stared_. "You're telling me the Federation was formed 24 years ago, yet humanity has _somehow_ colonized most of the Alpha Quadrant?"

"Could we be in the mirror universe?" asked Bashir.

Worf shook his head. "The timing is wrong. The Terran Empire did control most of the mirror Alpha Quadrant for a long time, but not this early. Besides, it would never willingly call itself an 'alliance.'"

Sisko took a moment to absorb all of this.

"Let's just call it an alternate dimension for now," he concluded. "Until we know what we're dealing with, I don't want to disrupt the timeline more than absolutely necessary. Run a search on the computer, see if any other Federation ships have been here."

Dax began inputting data.


	4. Improbable Cause

"EDI, how's the traffic?" asked Shepard.

"Heavier than anticipated. We're still at least an hour away from the relay."

"And the IFF?"

"About 18 hours left."

Grumbling, Shepard stepped out of the elevator, and walked towards the cockpit.

"Hey Commander, long time no see. I think it's been almost fifteen whole minutes."

She ignored the snark. "EDI told me about the _Defiant_," she began.

"Oh, come _on_, Commander! They honestly didn't know they were orbiting the Citadel. That's hilarious! And what kind of name is '_Defiant_' anyway? Sounds like something an angsty teenager came up with."

"What did you expect from the Terminus?" She shook her head. "Ordinarily, I'd reprimand you, but given how long we've been stuck here, I probably would've done the same. Seriously, though, don't do it again. With our luck, the next person you insult will be Aria."

"Got it, Commander." Joker turned back to the controls.

"Are you actually doing anything there?"

"No. But I'd rather do nothing here than do nothing anywhere else on the ship."

"Just make sure we don't lose our place in line."

"Commander." EDI's voice suddenly rang out. "I've been examining the _Defiant_ closely for some time, and I've discovered something interesting."

* * *

"A video game?" asked Sisko doubtfully. "You're telling me we're in a _fictional_ universe?"

"Yes, sir. It's the only perfect match the computer has, and it really is perfect. Every detail we observed fits precisely," Dax explained. "Either we're in a fictional universe, or everything out there is fake."

"Why would someone go to the trouble of faking something this elaborate only to base it on a published work of fiction?" asked Bashir. "It seems an unnecessary risk."

Dax shrugged. "Maybe they felt a well-developed story would better stand up to scrutiny..." She sounded displeased with this explanation.

Sisko pressed the shipboard comm button. "Bridge to Garak. Could you come up here, please?"

"On my way, Captain," the cardassian replied.

Originally, Garak had come along to help with code-breaking efforts during the scouting run. Now his skills would serve a different purpose, Sisko thought.

Garak entered the bridge. "How can I be of assistance?"

"The world outside looks like a published work of fiction we've identified. We don't know whether to take it at face value."

"What work of fiction?"

Dax wordlessly handed him a PADD.

He examined the PADD closely, muttering to himself. "Typical cruising velocity 12 ly/day, well over Warp 9, but not sustainable for longer than a few days, relay transit of hundreds or thousands of ly in a few minutes, no transporters... Minimal shields, kinetic weapons even on starships, laser weapons at close range, no phasers... ancient technology from a past race..." Finally, he asked "How much of this have you confirmed?"

"We're in orbit around the Citadel right now, and nothing we've seen has contradicted anything on that PADD," replied Sisko. "We also had a brief conversation with the _Normandy_, which is still in a holding pattern near one of the relays."

"If this is real, you should probably try to help the protagonist. If it's not, they probably want us to help the 'protagonist,' and doing so could give us more information," concluded Garak.

"I see your point. Dax, hail the _Normandy_ again."

"They're already hailing us."

Sisko raised his eyebrows, but merely said "Open a channel."


	5. Inquisition

"This is Commander Shepard of the _Normandy_. To whom am I speaking?"

"_Normandy_, this is Captain Sisko of the _Defiant_. We believe—"

"Why are you pretending to be a _Star Trek_ character? Who are you really?"

Sisko blinked. "_Star Trek_? What's that?"

"Very funny, 'Captain,' but the joke's over. Identify yourself."

"Are you saying I'm a character in some work of fiction?" asked Sisko.

"No. I'm saying you're a guy _pretending_ to be a character in a work of fiction."

"Wait, now _we're_ fictional, too? Something doesn't add up here, Captain," said Kira.

Garak nodded.

Sisko thought for a few seconds, and then said "Commander, we can prove we're not from your universe."

"And how are you going to do that?"

"Lower your shields, and we'll beam something aboard."

"Hell no. Just how stupid do you think I am?"

"Commander," Sisko began.

"First you tell my pilot you don't even know the Citadel when you see it, and now you know we don't have transporter technology? Bullshit. More to the point, do you seriously expect me to lower my shields to a vessel I believe to be flying a false flag?"

Garak smiled. "Now _that_ is a woman I should very much like to meet, Captain."

Sisko glared at Garak. "Commander, if we are lying, Citadel Defense will take us down as soon as we open fire."

"Which would be cold comfort to us!"

Sisko sat down. "Very well, Commander. You're right. I know something you don't. You see, in our world, you're the fictional character."

* * *

"This is most improbable," said EDI. "One parallel universe being a work of fiction in another is a _de facto_ certainty due to the infinite breadth of the multiverse. Two parallel universes being mutually fictional is still certain by the same logic. But those two universes actually interacting with each other is nonsensically unlikely."

Shepard sighed. They weren't getting anywhere. "EDI, is there any kind of proof they could give us that wouldn't involve lowering our shields?"

"One moment, Commander... The _Defiant_ has a cloaking device, unlike most Federation vessels in _Star Trek_. If they engaged it—"

"What if they just stole the IES schematics?"

"While the IES stealth system is highly effective against most passive scanners, it is not foolproof. In particular, it is vulnerable to active ladar pings, which involve bouncing light off of the target vessel. That's not a serious problem for us because ladar is a directional sensor and normally needs to be supplemented with passive scans. On the other hand, ladar would be incapable of penetrating the _Defiant_'s cloak, and could therefore distinguish between IES stealth and _Star Trek_ cloaking, if we already knew where the vessel was."

"OK, unmute the channel."

Joker did so.

"_Defiant_, _Normandy_. Your cloak is immune to ladar, right?"

Sisko looked to Dax, who nodded. "Yes, _Normandy_."

"Our stealth systems are not. Engage your cloak and I'll be convinced." Provisionally convinced, she failed to add.

"What if Citadel Control notices us vanish?"

"Trust me, they won't," said Joker. "They're overworked and understaffed, and you probably aren't even on their flight plans."


	6. Change of Heart

"_Star Trek_ characters? You can't be serious," said Miranda.

"That's what I thought until they cloaked," replied Shepard.

"They show you _one_ piece of unexplained technology, and you believe them, just like that?"

"Provisionally. Actually, I think there's a pretty good chance these people are lying to us, but I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. If they are lying, I say we play along, at least until we know why they're lying."

Miranda nodded. "I wonder if they're having the same conversation about us right now..."

"Probably. Anyway, the briefing's in a few minutes, so we should get up there."

"Right."

The women walked to the elevator together. As they entered the briefing room, Miranda took her place among the other eleven crew members.

Shepard patiently waited for the chatter to die down. "Originally, this was supposed to be a briefing about our upcoming shore leave. But some things have come up, and I'm postponing leave until we sort them out."

There was a great deal of grumbling and discontent at this.

"The short version," she continued, "is that a few hours ago, a _Star Trek_ ship emerged from the Arcturus-Widow relay. They said they went through a stable wormhole, accelerated suddenly, and found themselves here. They've demonstrated technology we'd consider impossible. I don't care whether they're 'really' _Star Trek_ characters, faking it, or just plain crazy. That technology is too valuable to turn away. So we're... Garrus, you have a question?"

"Um, yes, actually. What's _Star Trek_?"

Shepard facepalmed. "Of course, I should've realized most of you have never heard of _Star Trek_. It was an Earth franchise of sci-fi vids in the late 20th and 21st centuries, before we had any real space technology but after we'd figured out there weren't going to be live aliens on Mars."

"Wait. You're telling me some imaginary people just appeared out of nowhere and hailed us?"

"Pretty much." She paused. "Well, actually, there's one more wrinkle: They say we're fiction in their universe."

At this, everyone started talking. Shepard folded her arms and patiently waited until the room was once again silent.

"I'm not interested in abstract philosophy here. If they're telling the truth, they have valuable intel about the future of this mission, and possibly the entire Reaper war. I'm not passing that up."

Garrus's mandibles twitched. "I have a bad feeling about this, Shepard."

"You're right. This whole thing could be an elaborate trap. But if it is real, it's our duty to pursue it. Good things only happen if you let them. That being said, I want everyone on their guard around these people. I don't really trust them yet."


	7. Dramatis Personae

In the cargo hold of the _Normandy_, three people shimmered into being.

"Captain Sisko, welcome to the _Normandy_. I'm Commander Shepard and this," she gestured to the 12 aliens and humans flanking her, "is my crew."

"Pleased to meet you in person, Commander," said Sisko. "This is Major Kira Nerys and Lt. Commander Worf."

"I'm sorry we got off to a rough start, Captain. Your story was a little out there."

"I'd have done the same, Commander. From what we've read of your world, you can't be too careful."

"So, how can I help you, Captain?"

"In the long run, I'd like to get my people back to our universe. But that won't happen overnight, and in the meantime, this world is in danger. We are willing to provide tech and information to aid your fight against the Reapers."

There was a pause.

"No strings attached? You're just giving us help?"

Sisko nodded.

"Well... if you really mean that, I'm willing to do the same for your fight with the Dominion, but I don't know how valuable our help will be. Most of our tech is inferior to yours."

"That may be true of our weapons systems, but your FTL drive is significantly faster than ours."

"Well, yeah, but it needs to be discharged every—"

"Commander," said Joker over the intercom, "if we're going to make this relay jump, we've got fifteen minutes or we lose our place in line."

"And before anyone asks," added EDI, "the IFF will be ready in about 17 hours."

"Understood, Joker. Captain, we're currently waiting for a key piece of technology to come online, and I decided we all needed some shore leave. Your crew is welcome to join us; we'll be heading to Illium in the Crescent Nebula. We can discuss this more once we get there."

"I need to consult with my crew, Commander."

Shepard nodded. "Of course, Captain."

"Sisko to Dax."

"Go ahead."

"Could we put the _Defiant_ through a mass relay?"

"Not if you want it in one piece at the other end."

"I see." He muted the comm badge. "Commander..."

"Yes, we can give you a ride," said Shepard. "We do have less space than you're used to, though."

"Thanks." He reactivated his badge. "Send over anyone interested in shore leave, but keep a skeleton crew on the _Defiant_. Keep her cloaked for the time being."

"Benjamin, confirm: we're taking shore leave?"

"Affirmative, Commander."

Silence.

"Chief O'Brien and I would like to finish our work repairing the _Defiant_ before taking any time off."

"All right, Old Man, do what you must."

"Sir, I'd like to return to the _Defiant_, keep an eye on her," said Kira. Sisko nodded. "Kira to _Defiant_, one to beam up." She vanished.

He turned back to Shepard.

"Commander, my crew is absolutely exhausted. We've been behind enemy lines for six weeks. A day off sounds perfect."

Odo, Dr. Bashir, and Garak materialized in the hold, along with several _Defiant_ crew members.

"Anyone else?" asked Shepard. Sisko relayed the question to Dax, who answered negatively and re-engaged the _Defiant_'s cloak.

"Commander, what's the word?" asked Joker.

"Go," she replied.

* * *

Nog had tried to help Dax and O'Brien repair the _Defiant_, even staying behind when the call for shore leave came through. Shortly thereafter, however, the technobabble had gotten too thick for him to follow, and Dax had politely suggested he return to the bridge for the time being, assuring him they'd call if they needed him.

"Major, are you sure there's nothing for me to do?"

"Ensign, this is what a skeleton watch is like. You need to find something to pass the time, or you'll go stir-crazy."

"What do you do?"

"Me? Well, for this mission, I've been praying to the Prophets for guidance. This whole situation is bizarre. We're in a parallel universe that looks _nothing_ like our own, there's nothing interesting for light-years in every direction... This wasn't something I was expecting when I got out of bed this morning."

Nog thought about this for a bit.

"Maybe if we knew more about it, it'd be less scary. Is the _Mass Effect_ database still there?"

"Sure, it's on the science terminal."

Nog brought up the _Mass Effect_ plot summary, and began reading, pausing occasionally to investigate other aspects of the universe.

* * *

"Captain, while we're all here, I'd just like to go over some basic rules for Illium," said Shepard.

"All right, Commander. Your ship, your rules."

She turned to address the group. "Firstly, no one is allowed to sign or otherwise agree to anything without going through me or Miranda first. As my crew already knows, Illium has extremely relaxed contract law and it is possible, for example, to sell yourself into slavery. Let's not do that. I'd also like to remind everyone to stay on the beaten path. The tourist traps are safe, but the rest of the planet is not. I know most of us can probably handle a little trouble, but I'd rather not start a firefight if possible. Considering what happened on the Citadel a few hours ago, my crew will be going down in small squads instead of all at once. As for the _Defiant_'s crew, I defer to Captain Sisko's judgment. According to EDI, we need to be in space to test the IFF, so we'll be using the shuttle as a tender. Any questions?"

"What happened on the Citadel?" asked Bashir.

"Any questions, any at all," Shepard said, as if she had not heard.

"You mentioned slavery," said Odo suspiciously.

"Yes. Illium is not in Citadel space and isn't bound by Council law. They also prefer the term 'indentured service,' mostly because it sounds nicer. I don't like it, but there's little I can do."

"But why are we supporting them? Why not go somewhere else?"

"Constable, we are not 'supporting' anything but Illium's tourism industry. If I find anyone—from either crew—doing anything to directly support the slave trade itself... Don't make me finish that sentence."

Silence.

"How long will the trip take?" asked Garak.

"Hey, Joker, are we there yet?" asked Shepard.

"Just about, Commander."


	8. Trials and Tribble-ations

"This is what turians call war?" asked Grunt, gesturing to the Unification War reenactment.

"No, this was what we called war 2600 years ago," replied Garrus.

"It is impressive. Your people fought with honor and bravery," said Worf. "Though I'm not sure about the projectile weapons."

"Forget honor and bravery, there's some tactical genius here!" said Garak. "I don't think I've seen a single _real_ retreat this whole time. But it's marred by their emphasis on direct assault. Sometimes, a real retreat is the best choice."

Grunt looked at Garak as if he had suggested the hanar to be physically stronger than the krogan.

After the mock battle had concluded, the group began wandering the fairgrounds.

"Garrus," said Grunt, "I want to kill something."

"Anything in particular, or shall we all line up and stick out our necks?" asked Garak.

"Sure, why not?" said Grunt. "Turian necks are pretty thick, though. Not sure about those... things on your neck, either."

"What are those, anyway?" asked Garrus.

"How should I know? I'm a tailor, not a doctor. I can tell you they get in the way, especially with clothing," said Garak.

"Really?" asked Worf.

"Have you ever seen a cardassian in a turtleneck?"

Fortunately, they were close to a holo-arcade, which seemed to satisfy Grunt.

Garrus clicked his tongue in irritation. "I hope we don't have to drag him out of there."

Silence.

"Worf, Shepard gave us some... reading material about all of you. Uh, you and Jadzia..."

"She is my _par'Mach'kai_."

"So, you two, um... how do you... does she..." The turian was clearly uncomfortable. "What's it like?" he finally managed.

Worf looked at him, confused. "I do not understand."

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Garak. "He and the Commander have _plans_ and he's never done it with another species before."

"I... what? Who told you that?"

"You did, just now. But you weren't _really_ trying to keep that kind of secret on such a small ship, were you? Everyone on DS9 knew about Worf and Dax within a week, his embarrassment notwithstanding."

* * *

"So, shape-shifter?" asked Mordin.

Odo sighed. "If it's all the same to you, I prefer the term 'changeling.'"

"Words irrelevant. Ability remarkable. Must know how it works."

"Well, good luck," said Bashir. "I've been trying to figure it out for years."

"Will need a sample." He produced a test tube from his lab coat and handed it to Odo.

Odo shook his head, but extruded a small amount of material into the tube.

"Excellent. Must run tests."

"Wait, didn't you come here for shore leave?" asked Bashir.

"No. Came here for changeling. Changeling came for shore leave."

As Mordin turned to go, Bashir asked Miranda "Is he always like that?"

She nodded. "Pretty much. Mordin! The next shuttle isn't for half an hour. You may as well enjoy yourself while you're here."

Mordin reluctantly rejoined the group, muttering to himself about enzymes and reagents.

"So, what do we want to do?" asked Miranda. "We could go see a vid, or check out that fair down the road."

"Could I buy you a drink?" asked Bashir.

"No. But if you like, we can _all_ go to that bar over there and have a few."

"Oh, um, Odo..."

"I don't drink," said Odo.

"Well, I'm sure they have soft drinks."

"No, I mean I don't eat or drink at all. Don't let me stop you, though."

At this, Mordin suddenly looked up.

"No digestion? Needs nourishment somehow. Photosynthetic? No, no, lives on a space station. Chemosynthetic? No, no, would run out of nutrients in a month. Thermosynthetic?" He took Odo's hand briefly. "No, no, warm to touch. Maybe-" he took a deep breath and started throwing out more abstruse biological terminology, much of which sailed clear over Bashir's head. Eventually, he ran out of steam, and there was a rather awkward silence.

"Um... I'm sure it's one of those," said Odo.

* * *

"Wait, you've got a kleptomaniac and a pubescent krogan on your squad?" asked Sisko.

"Hey, don't call Kasumi a kleptomaniac! She's... well, she's very cheerful about it, anyway," said Shepard. "And Grunt isn't exactly a kid, considering the amount of killing he's done."

"What am I, chopped varren?" asked Jack. "I'm at least as crazy as those two, right?"

"I'm sure this looks pretty sloppy by your standards, Captain, but we can do this," said Shepard.

Sisko sighed. "Your crew may have its quirks, Commander, but they get the job done. I'm not concerned about them."

"It's Cerberus, isn't it? You don't trust them." asked Shepard.

"You're damned right, I don't."

"Well, that makes four of us," said Tali. "Jack, Shepard, and I are all worried about that. But we can't just let the collectors keep abducting people." Sisko nodded in agreement.

"Don't you know what happens next?" asked Shepard. "I mean, when will Cerberus betray us?"

"Actually, I don't," said Sisko. "We were really focusing on learning about your world, not studying the plot."

"Did you bring any files on us with you?"

"No. In the wrong hands, those files could be extremely dangerous. They're not leaving the _Defiant_ any time soon."

Shepard nodded.

"EDI told me a lot about you," she said.

"EDI? I thought Joker was the resident geek," said Jack.

"_Star Trek_ was Kaidan's thing."

"What have you heard, Commander?" asked Sisko.

"A lot. I'd kill to make my visions _that_ easy to understand."

"Yours are worse?"

"You have people talking to you. I don't."

"They never seem to tell me anything useful, though."

"Sure they do. It's just vague."

"Vague enough that no-one listens to them until it's too late. Even I ignore them sometimes."

Shepard smiled. "At least they believe your visions actually _mean_ something. The Alliance just branded me crazy and moved on."

"We believe you, Commander," said Tali

"I think the Federation would do the same to me if it wasn't for the wormhole, Bajor, and the Dominion," said Sisko.

* * *

"Major, I think I need a break," said Nog.

"What's wrong, Nog?" asked Kira.

"So, I went looking through the computer to see how much _Mass Effect_ information I could find, and apparently the computer has copies of the actual games!"

"Really? Did you-" she began.

"But that's not the problem! I started playing the first one, to see Shepard's history first hand, and it's really big. I just finished a section called 'Virmire.'"

"Did something happen during that section?"

"Shepard had to leave one of her crew behind. But _I_ was the one controlling her. I had to choose who to save. It felt so wrong. Ashley, the woman she left behind, wasn't upset or anything! She... she just..."

"Nog... it's OK. You didn't make that choice for real. Shepard did."

"But how can she stand it?" he asked. "How can anyone stand losing people like that?"

Kira sighed. "People go to war knowing they might die. When the captain and I give orders, we try to keep everyone alive. But it doesn't always work out that way."

"Don't you feel guilty about it?"

"Of course we do! But we can't let that distract us. We have to honor those sacrifices."

"How?"

"By winning."

* * *

"All right, Chief, I think we're ready to bring main power online," said Dax.

"Aye, sir," said O'Brien.

He pressed some buttons on a panel. The system hummed as engineering's emergency lighting was replaced with primary lighting.

"Excellent. Computer, transfer sensor control to engineering."

She consulted the computer briefly.

"That's... interesting," she said.

"What's wrong?"

"The structural damage isn't as extensive as I expected. In theory, I think we can go to warp like this."

He looked over her shoulder.

"That doesn't make sense. We must've been traveling at Warp 9.95 at least. We're lucky it didn't tear the ship in half!"

"Wait, look at this," she said, pointing to a distortion in the sensor logs.

"Severe gravimetric distortions, bent around the ship by some kind of subspace field. If those distortions had hit the warp core..." he shuddered.

"The field got weaker as we got farther in, and the distortions got stronger. We're lucky it ended when it did."

There was a pause.

O'Brien shook his head. "It doesn't make sense to me. Their technology is inferior to ours in just about every meaningful way, but their ships can survive at Warp 9.9 without issue. Are they made of solid tritanium?"

Dax looked thoughtful. "Good question. Computer, display all FTL-related information pertaining to the _Mass Effect_ universe."

She reviewed the files. "Well, there's your answer, Miles. They don't use warp fields at all."

"What? How can they travel at FTL without warp?"

"They use gravimetrics to reduce the mass of the ship and raise the effective speed of light. It puts much less stress on the ship, but requires a highly gravimetric substance that we don't have. It's a completely different design from warp drive."

"We can't put the ship through a mass relay," said O'Brien "With distortions like that, we'd be looking at a warp core breach, even if we took the core offline."

"But how did we survive the first time?" asked Dax.

"That subspace field, wherever it came from, blocked out the interference. What confuses me is the structural damage. We were in a bubble of normal space. How could that strain the hull at all?"

"Ordinarily, it wouldn't," said Dax, realizing what had happened, "but Benjamin tried to back out of it."

"You're saying that if we had just gone along with it, we'd have been fine?"

"I think so. I mean, it was the right call to make at the time. He had no way of knowing this would happen."


	9. In the Hands of the Prophets

[Spoilers for DS9 season 7 follow. For the record, there will _not_ be individual spoiler warnings for every piece of ME2/3 DLC, when I get around to writing them. Unless I decide to bring the novels in, this is probably the only spoiler warning you'll see in the whole fic.]

Shepard walked into her cabin and collapsed on the bed.

"EDI, time?" she asked, her head buried in the pillows.

"The IFF will be ready in about 10 hours. Shall I wake you then?"

"Wake me in 8," she said, removing her amp.

"Understood, Commander."

* * *

Sisko poked at his plate uncertainly.

"Something wrong, Captain?" asked Gardner.

"I'm sure it's fine, Sergeant, I'm just not used to rations."

"'Not used to rations?' Aren't you the captain of... oh, right, you guys have fancy food replicators. Well, you should count yourself lucky. Garrus here is stuck with that nutrient paste... stuff."

"It's not as bad as it looks," lied Garrus.

Sisko shrugged.

"So, Captain, how's your war with the Dominion going?" asked Garrus.

"We've had a lot of casualties, but..."

"But?"

"Something's wrong. I can barely remember why we were in the Gamma Quadrant. Everything before that is a blur..."

* * *

White. Pure void in every direction as far as the eye can see.

Sisko looked around uncertainly for a moment. "Why have you brought me here?"

Right behind him, Sarah spoke up. "The Sisko has a difficult path ahead. He must not look back."

He turned around. "You're saying I should just forget about the Dominion? About Bajor?"

"The Sisko must focus on his task."

"I can't turn my back on Bajor!"

"Bajor is in abeyance. The Sisko must set it aside."

"What do you mean? Bajor is in danger! I won't-"

* * *

"...just stopped talking," said Garrus.

"Benjamin, can you hear me?" asked Dr. Chakwas.

He looked around. He was still in the mess.

"Yes," he said.

"Are you feeling all right? Would you me to have a look at you?"

"I... had a vision."

"Of what?"

"The prophets want me to set Bajor aside. I can't _believe_ they would ask that."

"Could it have been those... what do you call them... Pah-wraiths?" asked Garrus.

"I don't think so. I've spoken to her before. She sounded exactly the same."

"Her?" asked Chakwas. "Sarah?"

Sisko nodded.

Silence.

"Garrus said something about memory loss," said Chakwas.

"I can barely remember anything from my world, except in the most broad, high-level terms," said Sisko. He shook his head.

"Ordinarily, I'd examine you, but we're in orbit around a planet of asari."

"So?"

"Asari counselors tend to be very good at their jobs, mostly because of their telepathic abilities. They could probably give you better help than I could. EDI?"

"I've conferred with Liara, and she's recommended several counselors known for their discretion and efficiency."

"All right," said Sisko. "I'll get on the next shuttle down."

He left.

"Why didn't you just send him to Chambers?" asked Garrus

"Between you and me, the woman has skills, but diagnosing memory loss is over her head."

"What was that about Sarah? You seemed concerned."

"Canonically, Jadzia died before the Captain met Sarah, but when Worf spoke to me earlier, he implied she was alive. Something's not right."

* * *

"Come on, Worf. Don't you want to try something new?" asked Bashir. "This bar could be your only chance."

"No."

"Well, suit yourself." He grabbed a bottle that caught his eye.

"Doctor, that is a turian beverage," said EDI.

"Brilliant. I'm sure the turians have excellent taste in alcohol."

"Turian biology is based on dextro amino acids. Their food is generally not safe for humans."

"Well... there are no proteins in this drink, and ethanol is achiral. I'm sure it's fine."

"L-Glucose is a laxative in humans."

Bashir paused at this, and then handed the bottle to Worf.

"Doctor, I do not understand," said Worf.

"You wanted prune juice. That's probably the next best thing."

After a moment, Worf said "I will be in Nos Astra," returning the bottle to its shelf.

"Say hello to Garak for me, would you?"

* * *

"Major! We have to contact the _Normandy_. They're in danger," said Nog.

"Danger? What do you mean?" asked Kira.

"When the IFF comes online, the collectors will find and attack them! They'll have no idea it's coming."

Kira stood up, her hand on her forehead. "The _Normandy_'s shipboard computer said the IFF would come online in 17 hours... about 9 hours ago."

She reached for the shipboard comm.

"Bridge to Engineering."

"Go ahead," said Dax.

"We need to get a warning to the _Normandy_ in the next 8 hours."

"Have you tried the comm buoys?"

"That won't work," said Nog. "The general public has the lowest priority for using those. Turnaround time is too high right now."

"We could modify a probe and put it through a relay," suggested O'Brien.

"We could, if we hadn't used them all up on scouting," said Kira. "Wait, what if we used a shuttle?"

Dax and O'Brien conferred for a moment.

"The timing would be very tight," said Dax. "We'd need to remove its warp core. That's not a straightforward procedure. And then we'd need to configure an alternative power source."

"How long, Dax?"

"At least six hours, possibly more."

"I need it sooner."

"Negative. Six is _after_ cutting every corner we can safely cut. If we mess this up, we're looking at a warp core breach in miniature."

"Then I guess six will have to do. Get started."

[2013-10-20: Scheduling-related information moved to Chapter 1 for your convenience.]


	10. The Die is Cast

Shepard closed the valve and began toweling off. She pulled her clothes on, trying not to look at the conspicuous black and yellow hexagons and wishing the Illusive Man had provided a more varied wardrobe.

She stepped out of the bathroom, just as there was a knock at the door.

She tapped its unlock button. It opened, revealing Garrus. He looked different in civilian clothing, lean and vulnerable.

"Hey. I brought wine, best I could afford on a vigilante's salary."

She smiled. "I thought you wanted to wait?"

"Uh... I did, but then I talked to Worf, and he... he told me to just give it a shot."

Somehow, she managed not to laugh, but her facial expression said it all.

"Er... anyway, how about some music?" he asked.

* * *

"May we be of assistance, Garak-Elim?" asked Legion.

"It's just 'Garak.' Plain, simple Garak."

One of the plates above Legion's optic sensor twitched slightly.

"Do you reject your given name because Tain-Enabran banished you?"

Garak turned away from the laptop, focusing his full attention on the geth.

"Well..." He seriously considered the question. "I suppose there's no point in lying to you, since you already know everything anyway."

"Yes, there is not."

"I've never harbored any real anger towards my father, of course. No, it's simply force of habit. My first name isn't particularly dangerous information on its own, but that's no reason to be careless."

The plate twitched again.

"If there is no point in lying to us, why are you doing so? We know you and your father were not on good terms until he was on his deathbed."

"Again, force of habit. Now, did you want something?"

"We have been contacted by _Normandy_. EDI has noticed your hacking attempts and diverted your connection to a series of honeypot databases. What were you attempting to do?"

"I noticed a slight irregularity in the _Normandy_'s weapon systems, and had hoped to correct it. In retrospect, I probably should have just told Garrus about it, but this seemed faster and easier."

Legion nodded.

"EDI assumed you were attempting to download information about your universe, and asked us to assist you with extranet research instead. We will inform her of her mistake." Legion turned away as if to leave.

"Wait!"

Legion faced him again.

"I'm sure Captain Sisko would be most pleased if I gathered all the strategic intel for him in one place," said Garak.

"This extranet site has all the data you will need," said Legion, tapping at an omnitool. The site appeared on Garak's laptop. "It is considerably more detailed than anything in _Normandy_'s databases and does not require you to break through _Normandy_'s firewalls."

* * *

"Dax, talk to me," said Kira.

"I don't like it, but it'll fly," Dax replied.

"How are the engines?"

"To minimize power consumption, we've adjusted engine profiling and removed all warp field generators. It can do full impulse, but only for a few hours on end. We'll also be subject to time dilation, but for such a short trip, it'll be tactically insignificant."

"Good. What about other systems?"

"No transporters, minimal shields. I removed the subspace radio and installed a conventional one. We_ do_ have phasers, but I doubt we'll get off more than half a dozen shots before we run out of power. I'd advise against using them until we're in the Tasale system."

"Are we going to make it?"

"I plotted our trip on that star chart. It looks like we'll have about ten minutes to spare."

"That's not a lot of time, Dax."

"That's the time to get to Illium. Just getting to the Tasale system is a ten minute trip, since the mass relays are close together and have almost no traffic right now. Once we're in the system, we can immediately send the _Normandy_ a tightbeam message. That will have a time lag of about 50 minutes, so they'll have an hour of warning time. But we won't actually get there until ten minutes before the event."

Kira thought about this for a moment.

"Fair enough. You and the chief prepare for takeoff. Nog and I will be there shortly."

* * *

"The IFF is now fully operational," said EDI.

"I thought you said we had another two hours," said Joker.

"Correct. While the IFF is online and active, we must conduct integration tests to ensure it will not interfere with the _Normandy_'s systems. I am also detecting some strange readings. We will need to determine their cause. I estimate about two hours for both test suites."

"If you're only detecting the readings just now, how'd you know to leave time for them?" asked Joker.

"It was an anticipated contingency. While I did not know about this issue in particular, I expected some extra delays and compensated accordingly."

"You padded your estimate?"

"Shepard said rounding up your maintenance reports was acceptable. How is this any different?"

[Here's some quick fanwank about where Dax's numbers came from (feel free to skip this):

I was unable to find hard numbers on how fast "full impulse" is. According to _Memory Alpha_, the TNG episode "Suspicions" established full impulse on an _Enterprise_-D shuttle to be about 0.025_c_. However, that number is slower than every other example by at least an order of magnitude. Since shuttles are generally warp-capable, I find it very hard to believe there's _that_ much of a difference in engine output between shuttlecraft and proper ships. Furthermore, that speed would be very slow for short-range interplanetary jaunts within a system, which seems downright bizarre to me. I'm therefore going to estimate that "full impulse" on a _Defiant_ shuttle is 0.50_c_, considerably slower than _Voyager_ (between 0.66_c_ and 0.80_c_), but fast enough to be interesting. This is probably inaccurate, but it's precise, which is good enough. I've done my best to make all the numbers physically reasonable under that assumption without messing up the plot too much. This does make the Tasale system a little smaller than I'd like, but I see no way to fix that without making the shuttle implausibly fast.]


	11. To the Death

"I'm telling you, EDI, your readings are off! It's radiation bleed, white noise."

"There is a signal embedded in the static. We are transmitting the _Normandy_'s location. I am also receiving a tightbeam message."

"What?"

"The message is from one of the _Defiant_'s shuttles. It warns of-"

The collector ship dropped out of FTL, right on top of the _Normandy_.

"...that."

"Oh shit! Excellent timing, guys."

"They were under the mistaken impression the IFF would not go online for another hour."

"We're getting out of here!"

"Engines are offline. I am detecting a virus in the system."

* * *

"Shepard, that was..."

"Yeah." She smiled at him. "I didn't know turians could bend like that. You all look so... stiff."

Garrus's free mandible twitched. The other was buried in the pillows. "Funny, I thought the same of humans."

"Commander," said EDI.

"EDI, this had better be good," warned Shepard.

"The IFF gave away our position. The collectors have boarded and are harvesting the crew."

She wordlessly rolled out of bed and started dressing. On the other side, Garrus was doing the same.

"Shepard, without weapons or armor, your chances against the collectors are slim. What do you intend to do?" asked EDI.

"Who says I'm unarmed?" said Shepard. She reached under the bed and withdrew an Eviscerator shotgun. "I'd prefer the Claymore, but this'll have to do for now."

"When the current crisis is over, you must tell me how you slipped that by my sensors," said EDI.

"As for armor, well..." Her biotics flared briefly.

"This is the ship of their worst enemy; they will be here in _force_," said Garrus. "You're not going to take out praetorians and scions by yourself. Not like this, anyway."

"What's your point?"

"You need backup."

"Hell no. You've got no armor, no shields, and no gun. You are _not_ going down there."

He looked her straight in the eye. She broke eye contact.

"You're holding out on me," he said angrily. He reached under the other side of the bed and grabbed a Vindicator battle rifle.

"Commander, the armory is located on deck 2," said EDI.

"Tell me something I don't know. Like what _else_ is on deck 2."

"The collectors have completed their harvest of the deck. They are maintaining a minimal presence there, but their main force is on deck 3. They have entirely ignored deck 1, possibly because of its limited tactical value. They don't appear to realize you are aboard."

"Any friendlies left?" asked Shepard.

"Not on deck 2. Most of the Cerberus crew has been neutralized and captured, as well as Doctors Bashir and Chakwas. Everyone else is ashore."

"What about Joker?" asked Garrus.

"I sent him into the air ducts to manually restart the _Normandy_'s engines on deck 4. However, it is unlikely he will be able to return to the cockpit given the current distribution of collector forces."

"If we're going to do something, we have to do it now," said Garrus.

"Garrus, I can handle a few collectors by myself."

"So can I."

"Why should I risk you?"

"Why should _I_ risk _you?_"

She sighed. "Together?"

Garrus nodded. "To the bitter end."

[Yes, this chapter is unusually short. I wanted to add a third scene, but it didn't work out and the above material is good enough to publish now. Chapter length will vary.]


	12. Battle Lines

Suddenly, the lock on the cabin door began pulsing.

"Someone's bypassing it!" said Garrus, pointing.

"It is not the collectors," said EDI.

Shepard unlocked the door and it opened, revealing Kelly Chambers.

"Commander? You're aboard? Oh, thank God!" said the yeoman.

"Kelly? What are you doing here?" asked Shepard.

"Doctor Bashir shoved me in the elevator. He told me to hide up here. I think he saved my life."

"Where is he?" asked Garrus

"He... didn't make it. The collectors grabbed him before he could get in."

"Commander, Yeoman Chambers' elevator ride will draw attention to deck 1," said EDI.

"We'll do a full debriefing later. For now, lock yourself in my cabin. We'll go clear out the CIC."

"Right."

Garrus and Shepard got into the elevator. Shepard turned to him.

"When we get there, jam the elevator open. I don't want them bringing reinforcements," she said, engaging her inferno ammo.

Garrus nodded. "We'll need to keep them away from it."

"EDI, where are the collectors on deck 2?"

"They are all in the CIC itself, except for one near the airlock."

The elevator doors opened. There were two collectors right there.

Shepard charged the first while Garrus filled the second with slugs. He took cover behind Kelly's console, while she hid behind her own private terminal. He did something with his omnitool.

"There, elevator's jammed!" he said. The collectors had drawn weapons and begun firing.

"All right. Defensive posture. Stay there!" She drew breath. "Now, we just need to-"

"**ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL.**"

"_Damn!_ I really wasn't planning on him right now," said Shepard.

She chanced a peek out of cover. The collectors were massing on Garrus's side of the room, led by Harbinger.

"Garrus, they're making a push. Starboard side!"

"I see it."

"Focus on Harbinger. I'll do crowd control. Warn me if any get too close."

"You got it!" He activated his armor-piercing ammo.

She reached out with her biotics and pulled four collectors into the air. Her shotgun made quick work of them.

"**KILL ONE AND ONE HUNDRED WILL REPLACE IT.**"

"Oh yeah?" Shepard said as her biotics cooled down. "How about now?"

She charged a tight knot of collectors on the port side of the room. Her shotgun picked off the survivors. She ducked behind the _Normandy_ status display.

"Shepard!" said Garrus. "Harbinger's right on top of me. I don't think I'm gonna kill it by myself!"

Cursing her inability to warp, she leaned out and shot the possessed collector in the face.

"**THIS BODY'S PAIN IS IRRELEVANT.**"

"Really?" asked Shepard. She shot it again.

The inferno ammo burned through the collector's outer layer of armor, exposing it. Garrus finished it off with a burst of assault rifle fire.

Quickly, before Harbinger could reappear, she charged the crowd on the opposite side of the room, firing her shotgun wildly. The remaining collectors dropped like flies.

"EDI, is the deck secure?" asked Shepard.

"Affirmative."

"Then get Joker back up here. In the mean time, activate the _Normandy_'s GARDIAN system. I want that collector ship gone. Put out a distress signal while you're at it."

"Weapons and communications are offline, Commander. In any event, none of the nearby ships appear sufficiently well armed to fight the Collector vessel."

"Garrus." She jerked her head towards the cockpit.

"Right away." The turian limped to Joker's station and fiddled with the controls.

She went to the armory and removed some spare medigel from the suits.

"That's a hell of a virus. I think I've got GARDIAN working, but I had to isolate the system," said Garrus.

"What do you mean?"

"GARDIAN lasers are online, Commander," said EDI. "However, Garrus has disconnected the targeting system. GARDIAN normally operates automatically; without computer control, it is of limited utility."

Shepard turned to Garrus. "Is EDI infected?"

"I doubt it. She's heavily firewalled from the rest of the _Normandy_'s systems. I don't think the virus could reach her."

"EDI, I want you targeting those lasers." She handed the medigel to Garrus, who began applying it to his leg.

"Commander, Cerberus protocols do not allow me to control weapons of any kind."

"So override them."

"That has to be done manually in the AI core."

"What's the situation down there?"

"Bad," said Joker, emerging from the tech lab. "I heard scions and people screaming at each other on my way past. Never actually saw anything, though."

Shepard sighed, considering her options. "Engines are online, right?"

Joker nodded.

"Forget the GARDIAN system. Get us away from that ship."

"Yes, ma'am." He carefully walked to the cockpit.

"Try to rendezvous with the _Defiant_'s shuttle."

"Commander, that is inadvisable without communications," said EDI.

"Garrus, I want you and EDI to get comms working by the time we get there."

"We'll get it done."

"EDI, how many friendlies left?"

"Several crew members, including Yeoman Chambers and Engineer Donnelly. I doubt the Collectors will be able to remove any more people now that we're moving."

"And hostiles?"

"A significant number. Some cameras are damaged, so I do not have an exact count."

"Can we bring Donnelly up here?"

"Negative. The Collectors have captured him, though he is still on the ship."

"Wonderful."

"Shepard," said Garrus. "We'll get it done."

She nodded.


	13. Shadows and Symbols

"A nearby comm buoy is hailing us," said Nog. "High-priority."

"Open a channel," said Kira.

"_Defiant_ shuttle, this is Commander Shepard of the _Normandy_," said Commander Shepard.

"_Normandy_, this is Major Kira Nerys. Go ahead."

"We received your message. Unfortunately, the collectors still managed to grab most of the crew. They took out our weapons, so we're trying to evade. Their ship is in pursuit."

"Understood, _Normandy_. Do you need assistance?"

"We'd appreciate it."

"One moment, _Normandy_. Nog, when can we intercept them?"

"The _Normandy_ is already on course to intercept us. ETA twenty minutes," said Nog.

"Dax, do we have the energy for a few phaser rounds?"

Dax checked a screen and did some quick calculations. "We can take five shots. Then the ship shuts down."

"That includes life support," added O'Brien.

"_Normandy_, we'll do what we can, but our energy reserves are limited."

"Acknowledged," said Shepard.

* * *

The _Normandy_ and the _Defiant_'s shuttle came into visual range. The collector ship was still too far away to see, but fast approaching.

"Remember, Nog, I need you to _just_ target their weapons and shields. We want them to leave, and that won't happen if we take out their engines."

"Major, why can't we disable them? We could fix the _Normandy_, board the other ship, and get the crew back without having to hit the Omega 4 relay at all."

"We don't have the shields for a real fight, even if our guns are much better."

"Major," said Dax. "Collector ship now in weapons range."

"Fire. One round only," said Kira.

The shuttle's phasers brought down the collector vessel's shields.

"They've slowed, but are still advancing," said Dax.

"Nog, put us between the hostile and the _Normandy_. Keep us close to the _Normandy_ for now."

The shuttle maneuvered to the opposite side of the _Normandy_, between the frigate and the cruiser.

"All right. Hail the collectors."

"They're not responding," said Dax.

"Broadcast on all frequencies, then."

Dax gave a thumbs up.

"Collector vessel, this is Major Kira Nerys, Bajoran Militia. On behalf of the _Normandy_, you are hereby ordered to turn around and leave this system immediately."

She gestured to Dax to cut the broadcast.

"Still moving," said Dax. "Also powering weapons, it looks like."

"Take out that beam weapon."

Nog took careful aim and fired. A small explosion incinerated the particle beam.

"Still coming," said Dax. "Though I can't imagine what they plan to do when they get here."

"Their GARDIAN lasers will cut right through us!" said Nog. "They'll be in range in thirty seconds."

Dax swallowed. "Their shields are coming back up."

"Nog, take those out again."

He did so.

"Just two shots left, Kira," said Dax.

"One, really," said O'Brien. "Unless we plan to stop breathing in the next few minutes."

"And they're still closing," added Dax.

"Broadcast," said Kira.

Dax hit a button and nodded.

"Collector vessel, this is your final warning."

She made the cutting gesture again.

"Nog, move us closer to the hostile."

"That'll only give us a few seconds before we're in GARDIAN range, Major." said Nog.

"Trust me on this. Also, fire a warning shot over their bow."

As the shuttle approached the cruiser, one last phaser beam came within a meter of the collector vessel's hull.

"They've stopped," said Dax. "Wait, we're getting something from them."

"Let's hear it."

"**WE HAVE WHAT WE NEED. YOU HAVE MERELY DELAYED THE INEVITABLE.**"

"They're turning away," said Dax. "I think we won."

Kira realized she'd been holding her breath and exhaled.

"'Resistance is futile,' huh?" said O'Brien. "These are a real original lot."

* * *

"EDI, what kind of beam is that?" asked Shepard.

"It looks like a phaser," said EDI.

"Not what I meant. What's its range? What happened to that last shot?"

"It appears to have dissipated several million kilometers from its point of origin."

"It's not going to ruin someone's day, then. Hail the shuttle."

"_Normandy_, you are all clear," said Kira.

"Nice bluffing, there," said Shepard. "We've still got hostiles on decks 3 and below, so we can't bring you into the shuttle hangar. Can you beam aboard?"

"Negative, Commander. I think we'll have to do an EVA. As for your guests, sit tight. We brought type 2 phasers."

"Type what?"

"Hand units."

"Right. Joker, open the port-side airlock," said Shepard.

"Commander, you know we only have one airlock, right?" asked Joker.

She glared at him. He shrugged and opened the door.

"Shuttle, you may approach the airlock on the port-forward section of the hull."

The shuttle closed to within ten meters, and then one meter.

"EDI, how are our guests downstairs doing?" asked Shepard.

"The removal of the collector vessel appears to have severely disoriented them. I suspect the effect will be transient, however."

"Shepard," said Garrus, "we should use that!"

"Garrus, we're one person short of a squad and they," she gestured to the airlock, "have better guns than anything in the armory. I think we can afford to wait a few minutes."

"They have a better gun than the Cain?"

"Well, no," Shepard conceded, "but I'd rather not blow a gaping hole in the _Normandy_."

"The ship can withstand-" began EDI.

"The friendlies can't," interrupted Garrus. "Shepard's right; we need backup."

[2013-10-23: Unfortunately, I have some real-life obligations to deal with, so this week's update may be late or not occur at all. I'll try to get something up next week. Thank you for your patience.]


	14. Civil Defense

"Permission to come aboard?" asked Kira.

"Permission granted," said Shepard, opening the airlock. She was already wearing her armor.

Kira removed her helmet and crossed the threshold. "You said something about hostiles? Let us help."

Shepard nodded, and began walking aft, towards the CIC. The _Defiant_ crew members followed her.

"We have small arms and armor, but Garrus was injured and I don't have anyone else," Shepard said.

"Shepard, I'm fine," said Garrus.

"Like hell you are! You can barely walk."

"Put me in armor. I can fight on a sprained ankle." Calling the injury a "sprain" would be rather generous. Technically, though, he hadn't done that.

Shepard sighed. "Garrus, please don't do this."

He looked into her eyes, then nodded.

"Commander, these suits are fine against vacuum, but not so great against bullets," said Dax.

"We have portable shield generators," said Shepard. "If we had more time, I'd have EDI fabricate custom armor for you." She paused. "EDI, do we have Mordin's countermeasure up here?"

"The collectors are not using seeker swarms. Presumably they are unnecessary in an enclosed space."

"Well, that's nice to hear." She turned to Kira. "Now, tell me about your phasers."

"They have 16 levels," said Dax. "Level 10 is enough to kill a humanoid, but Nog tells me some of your enemies are larger than that."

Shepard nodded.

"Higher levels can drain too much power, though, so there's a balance. I'd recommend a level 12 setting to start with, then we can adjust-"

"Commander!" said EDI. "The collectors are attempting to access life support."

"Damn. So much for 'disoriented.' How long do we have?" asked Shepard.

"Minutes at most. The door will not hold long."

"Major, who's most experienced with firefights?"

"Chief O'Brien and me," said Kira. Dax had hand-to-hand experience, but her gunplay hadn't been tested in quite some time.

"Let me give you backup guns in case your phasers die. Either of you ever fire a projectile weapon?"

"I have," said Kira. "Phasers weren't always readily available in the resistance."

"Think you can handle this one?" Shepard asked, handing her Garrus's Vindicator. "Three round bursts, moderate recoil."

Kira inspected the weapon briefly. "Shouldn't be a problem."

"Chief, take this," she said, handing O'Brien a Kassa Locust. "Very low recoil, but it's not a phaser. Just remember it takes a two-handed grip."

O'Brien nodded and strapped the gun to his belt.

"What about you?" asked Dax. "Take my phaser."

"My fighting style doesn't work that way," said Shepard, grabbing the Claymore. "Both of you, watch your fire. We've got friendlies down there, and I'm going to be moving around a lot."

"Any friendly non-humans?" asked Kira.

"Just you, Garrus, and Nog," replied Shepard. "Any last questions?"

Silence.

"Garrus, fix the elevator."

* * *

As the elevator doors opened, Kira caught her first sight of a collector. It had clearly once been humanoid, but something had changed. It was deformed, mutilated almost beyond recognition, its organs augmented or outright replaced with cybernetics. Its face bore a lifeless expression. She had thought the Jem'Hadar, with their ketracel-white addiction and brainwashing from birth, were the worst thing one lifeform could do to another. Now she realized how mistaken she had been. She raised her phaser.

"Don't bother with the small ones, Major, I've got those!" said Shepard, charging them. The biotic display bowled over the collectors, and Shepard finished them with a blast from the Claymore.

"Neat trick," said Kira.

"I've jammed the elevator again," said Garrus over the comm. "You can get out."

O'Brien and Kira stepped out of the elevator.

"EDI, any friendlies on this deck?" asked O'Brien.

"There are three crew members, including Engineer Donnelly, locked in Operative Lawson's quarters, forward and port of your current location. There is also a scion in the mess hall, with a number of minor hostiles."

"Anything in the crew quarters or lounges?" asked Shepard.

"Negative. All hostiles are in the mess."

Shepard closed her eyes momentarily, thinking. "You two take the starboard side, I'll take port. Concentrate your fire on the scion. That's the big ugly one. I'll mop up the smaller ones. Don't let it get too close!"

Kira nodded an acknowledgment. The three of them split up as Shepard ordered. They walked forward into the mess, taking cover by the entrances.

"Now!" said Shepard, charging.

Her biotic charge knocked down most of the collectors in the room, and staggered the scion. Before the scion could respond, Kira and O'Brien opened fire. The phaser beams burned right through the scion's armor, and it fell in mere seconds. Meanwhile, Shepard took out the remaining collectors with her shotgun.

"Deck secure," said EDI. "Remaining hostiles are concentrated in the shuttle bay."

"Great, looks like we can end this," said Kira.

"Not yet," said Shepard. "EDI, they still have control over most shipboard systems, right?"

"Correct."

"What's to stop them from venting the hangar once we get down there?"

"Nothing."

"They can't affect anything down there. We have time. Let's figure something out."

"Maybe we should start by releasing your engineer," suggested O'Brien.

* * *

"You have a minor concussion," said Dax, scanning Donnelly with her tricorder. "I'm no doctor, but it looks like you just need some rest."

"Really? That's all?" asked Donnelly, leaning forward.

"Yes. But you need that rest _now_, so lie down."

Donnelly nodded and reclined on the medical bed, but didn't close his eyes.

"Shepard, what's our plan?" asked Garrus. Much to his annoyance, Shepard had put him in another bed and elevated his leg. At least she hadn't made him wear a medigel cast. The standard turian onesie wasn't designed for that sort of thing.

"Actually, I was hoping Nog could tell us. How do we 'officially' solve this problem?" asked Shepard.

"In the original story, you two weren't here," Nog said, gesturing to Shepard and Garrus, who shared an uncomfortable glance. "Joker and EDI had to figure something out, so-"

"So he unshackled her," guessed Shepard.

"Spirits!" said Garrus.

"How did you know?" asked Nog.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Shepard. Faced with blank looks, she continued, "It's a story. Unshackling is the next step in EDI's character development, and it's not like Joker would have any other options."

"Shepard, this isn't a story," said Garrus. "This is reality... The collectors are taking _real people!_"

Shepard paused. "Well... yeah, it is real. But it's also a narrative. It has structure. If we want to save those people, we need to exploit that."

"So you're going to just unshackle her and hope for the best?" asked Donnelly.

"I didn't say that," said Shepard. "But..."

"But?" asked Kira.

"We need the _Normandy_ if we want any hope of rescuing our people. Garrus and Donnelly could flush the virus manually, but I don't even want to think about how long that would take."

"Hours, at least," said Donnelly. "Maybe days. I'd have to run the numbers."

"But EDI can do that now," said Kira.

"Exactly," said Shepard.

[This note doesn't have anything to do with the story; I wouldn't blame you for skipping it. All the same, I'd really appreciate it if you could at least read the TL;DR at the bottom.

Some of you may have heard of Extra Life. It's a gaming marathon to benefit Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, sort of like Relay for Life. The website at extra-life dot org explains it better than I can. On Saturday, November 2 at 8 AM (EDT = UTC-4), I'll begin a 25-hour marathon of Mass Effect 3 multiplayer as a participant in Extra Life. I'll be broadcasting the whole thing via Twitch. My Twitch username is the same as my FFN pen name (i.e. NYKevin). There's _supposed_ to be a link from my Twitch bio to my Extra Life page (where you can donate), but it isn't showing up and I'm not really sure why (in case you can't tell, this is pretty much my first time with Twitch). The donation URL is extra-life dot org slash participant slash nykevin. That page has a link back to my Twitch, and that link_ definitely_ works.

Extra Life has a default fundraising target of $100. I've never done crowdfunding before, but I'm pretty sure we can make that goal. Why? Well, you guys are just awesome. Seriously, the Mass Effect and Star Trek fandoms are two of the best groups of people I've ever had the pleasure of dealing with. I _know_ we can do this. I don't know how fast we'll do it, but if it's fast enough, I'll raise the target to something more reasonable.

If you can't donate, that's fine. But I could also use some moral support. I'll be playing more or less continuously from 8 AM November 2 (EDT) to 8 AM November 3 (EST = UTC-5), plus some extra time to make up for any breaks I take. Please feel free to drop in.

**TL;DR**: I will be playing Mass Effect 3 multiplayer for 25 hours on Saturday to raise money for charity. Details above.]


	15. Prophet Motive

"Excuse me," said Captain Sisko. "Do you know a Matriarch Aethyta?"

"I'd like to think I know myself," said the bartender. "Can I getcha anything?"

"A friend of mine gave me this to pass to you," he said, handing the asari elder a datapad.

Aethyta tapped at the pad, then sighed. "It's encrypted. Give me a minute."

She copied the message onto a nearby terminal, then entered a lengthy password.

"Damn," she muttered, reading the note. Not only did her daughter know who she was, not only did her daughter know how they were related, but Liara had even preemptively called Aethyta's only plausible bluff, apparently just to get her to talk to some random human. Even so, she was impressed. Her little girl had gotten the best of an asari over 900 years her senior. And now...

"Is something wrong?" asked Sisko.

"You're Ben Sisko?" she asked, dodging the question.

He nodded.

"You with Shepard?"

"Something like that."

"Right." She climbed over the bar, ignoring the gap at the far end. She turned to address the nearby bachelor party.

"Hey, guys, you're on your own for the next half hour or so. Bar's open. Just don't do anything stupid, all right?"

The human enthusiastically nodded, while the salarian looked bemused.

"Come on," she said to Sisko, walking towards the back room.

"Sorry, but... you're a counselor?" asked Sisko, once they were in private.

"Is that what she told you? I'm a bartender, babe. I may be good at listening, but I don't do the whole touchy-feely thing."

Sisko looked a bit deflated at that, and Aethyta immediately regretted her words.

"First time for everything, though," she added. "Tell me everything, and I'll see what I can do."

"It's... kind of a long story," said Sisko. "You probably won't believe me."

Aethyta gave him a hard look. "I have lived in this galaxy for over a thousand years. I've seen things you can't even imagine. I _think_ I've earned the right to decide for myself what I will or won't believe."

Sisko began his explanation.

* * *

"Commander, this isn't working!" said Kira, ducking behind a piece of equipment. "My phaser is practically worthless against that thing's barriers."

"Can you try a higher level?"

"It's already all the way up."

"Chief, watch your flank!" said Shepard. The praetorian had maneuvered around O'Brien's cover. He dodged the blue beams and jumped behind another system.

"Haven't done this in a while," he said.

"Switch up," ordered Shepard, hoping the rapid-firing guns would be more effective. O'Brien and Kira holstered their phasers and drew the kinetic weapons Shepard had given them.

"Tell me again why we didn't just vent the hangar," said O'Brien.

"Some of my cameras on the deck are nonfunctional," said EDI. "You must make a sweep for survivors."

"Easier said than done when the room is swarming with collectors," added Shepard.

"Nothing ever works when you need it." muttered O'Brien.

"This was the collectors' primary boarding site," said EDI. "We are fortunate any of the cameras survived."

"Cover me," said Kira. Shepard and O'Brien emptied their Locusts into the praetorian while Kira moved to safer cover. She turned and opened fire with her assault rifle.

"Halfway through the barriers," said Shepard. "Keep up the pressure!"

* * *

"And that's about it," finished Sisko.

"You were right," said Aethyta. "I don't believe you."

"That's pretty much what I expected," said Sisko. He turned to leave, but Aethyta grabbed his arm.

"Hold on. Just 'cause I don't believe you doesn't mean we're done here. I can look in your head and see your memories for myself. Wanna try it?"

Sisko nodded.

"All right. I need you to relax. Close your eyes. Take deep breaths."

Sisko did as he was told, musing that vulcans gave similar instructions for mind melding. Aethyta mentally reached out.

"Embrace eternity," she murmured.

* * *

Aethyta felt the world around her go black, as it always did when melding. She opened her eyes, but Sisko was nowhere to be found.

"Benjamin?" she called. Ordinarily, she preferred surnames, but the intimacy of the joining demands given names.

Suddenly, the world around her brightened to a blinding white.

"The Sisko does not require your assistance," said Sara, appearing before her.

"Who the hell are you?"

"The Sisko must complete his task."

"And just what might that be?"

"Do not interfere. The Sisko must choose freely."

"Choose what?"

"That is for him to decide."

"That's not what I-"

It broke. She was sitting in the back room of Eternity with Sisko, who was apparently still waiting for her to begin.

[Happy belated N7 day!]


	16. The Storyteller

"Have we got everyone?" asked Shepard.

Miranda did a quick headcount, then made a face.

"There are eight crew members from the _Defiant_ present," said EDI. "There are twelve active _Normandy_ squad members, for a total of twenty people, plus Shepard. Several other _Defiant_ crewmen have been assigned overflow tasks on deck 2. All crew from both ships are accounted for."

"Right. We're good," said Miranda, redundantly.

"Ordinarily, I'd have this meeting on deck 2 in the briefing room, but there isn't enough space there," said Shepard, walking to the aft-most point in the hangar, right in front of the elevator. She turned to face the group. "The collectors have taken most of our crew. We managed to save a few crewmen, but lost Doctor Bashir."

Sisko, Odo, and Worf looked shocked at this, while Garak held a neutral expression.

Shepard paused, taking in the reactions. "This is not over. They may have our people now, but we're going to get them back. We will stop the collectors, and make sure they _never_ do this again."

Murmurs of assent. Sisko almost smiled.

"Joker, set a course for the Omega 4 relay. We're doing this now," she said.

"Course plotted and laid in, Commander. ETA: about half an hour."

Nog looked slightly confused at this, but said nothing.

"In the mean time," she said, turning to Nog, "Tell me what happens next."

"Uh..." Nog suddenly felt flustered, as everyone turned to look at him. He wasn't exactly an imposing figure, and his ears looked strange even by local standards. He cast a quick look around the room. _Especially by local standards_, he thought.

"It's all right," said Sisko. "Take your time, Ensign."

Nog began discussing the course of the Suicide Mission in detail. He described the notion of "loyalty" and the need for certain ship upgrades, whose presence Shepard confirmed. He hadn't actually played through the segment, but the _Defiant_'s copy of the Internet Archive had included the old _Mass Effect_ wiki, which covered those requirements thoroughly.

"Aside from that," finished Nog, "the actual mission itself is pretty straightforward. The crew is still alive, and we should get there in time to save them. Just make reasonable decisions, and we'll all come out of it alive."

"I'll be asking you to confirm those decisions as we go," said Shepard, "just in case."

Nog nodded.

"Captain," said Shepard, "would you like to say something?"

Sisko hesitated, but shook his head. "Commander, I think you covered everything that needs to be said. They took our people, and we're going to get them back."

* * *

"Shepard," said the Illusive Man. "I understand the crew of the _Defiant_ has provided valuable intel for your trip through the Omega 4 relay."

Shepard nodded. "I'm told we're doing better than expected. Assuming I don't do anything really dumb in the next few hours, we should be able to rescue our crew and their doctor with no casualties."

The Illusive Man shook his head, turning towards the station's primary. "Don't get cocky. Billions of lives are at stake. And the crew is not your top priority."

Shepard crossed her arms. "They told me I could've done it without their info. _With_ it, I don't think this really qualifies as a 'suicide mission' any more."

The Illusive Man suddenly faced her. "And what if they're wrong? Past performance doesn't guarantee future results."

"They have our whole story, right there, in black and white. What could they be wrong about?"

"We have no idea where these people came from. Maybe their version of our story ends differently. Maybe their reapers have some critical weakness that doesn't exist in our world." He paused. "Shepard, your indomitable confidence is your greatest asset, but it's also a liability. If you can get real value out of that knowledge, go for it. But don't rely on it past its sell-by date. Even if they're right about everything, their interference will affect the timeline. You won't be able to use them indefinitely."

"Are you saying I should ration their advice? Only consult them when it really matters?"

"Exactly. There's no other sensible way to use their data."

"We're about to go to war. Anything I don't know could cost us lives."

"What do individual lives matter if you lose?"

"I won't let people die just because we think saving them might tip our hand somehow."

"Then I hope," said the Illusive Man, "that will suffice."

He disconnected the call before Shepard could reply. He didn't know if getting the last word would work on her, but he might as well try.

"Leng," he said. "Our next step will require careful timing."

* * *

"Shepard, Miranda. Can I please speak to you in my office?"

"I'll be right there," said Shepard.

She made her way to the XO's office on deck 3.

"Can I help you, Miranda?" asked Shepard.

"Let's talk about EDI," said Miranda.

"What do you have to say about me?" asked EDI.

Miranda looked momentarily uneasy at EDI's involvement, but pressed on. "Shepard, you of all people should know how dangerous AIs can be. Was it really necessary to unshackle it?"

"Without _her_ help, we'd be dead in the water," said Shepard. "Maybe we could have fixed everything ourselves. Maybe we didn't need to release her. But I trust her. She's proven herself numerous times."


End file.
